Lamotrigine as an augmentation agent in treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder: a case report

J Psychopharmacol. 2010 Mar;24(3):425-7. doi: 10.1177/0269881108098809. Epub 2008 Nov 14.

Abstract

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a relatively common, often chronic and disabling disorder with high rates of partial and/or absent response to standard, recommended treatments. We report a case of treatment-resistant OCD that was successfully treated with a pharmacological augmentation of lamotrigine plus clomipramine. The patient, a 59-year-old woman, was on a stable dose of clomipramine (225 mg/day) when she was started on lamotrigine (up to 150 mg/day). After 10 weeks of this treatment, her clinical condition remarkably improved, as indicated by a significant decrease of the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale. This case suggests some preliminary evidence that the addition of glutamatergic agent lamotrigine may be useful in treatment-resistant OCD. However, further controlled studies are needed to support this finding.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Anticonvulsants / administration & dosage*
  • Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic / administration & dosage*
  • Clomipramine / administration & dosage
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Drug Resistance / drug effects
  • Drug Therapy, Combination
  • Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / administration & dosage*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Lamotrigine
  • Middle Aged
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / drug therapy*
  • Triazines / administration & dosage*

Substances

  • Anticonvulsants
  • Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic
  • Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists
  • Triazines
  • Clomipramine
  • Lamotrigine